Broken Hearts Never Heal
by nightfury153
Summary: TRIALS OF APOLLO SPOILERS! 4 years after Percy's sister is born, they realize she's not all they thought she was. She's more... way more. How are they going to tell the others? But before they can, Percy needs to push past his guilt...
1. Chapter 1

**Special thanks to Novaexplodes for giving me some of the inspiration to write this.**

"Mom! I'm home!"

Percy walked in the front door of the flat and unceremoniously dropped his bag on the floor. He pushed a hand through his messy hair as his mother walked out of the kitchen smiling brightly. She kissed his cheek and was about to say something when a loud squeal echoed through the house. Approaching footsteps pursued.

"PEEERCYYY!" The tiny four year old sprinted down the hallway and leapt into her brother's arms.

Paul walked in shortly after and gave Percy an awkward side hug.

"Long time no see. How's college?"

Percy shrugged. "Eh. It's still school. I have to go back in two weeks."

The little girl sat in his arms and held his face with both hands. She looked into his eyes and very seriously said, "Where's Annabeff?" She still had trouble with the name.

Percy smiled. "She went to San Francisco to see her family."

The little girl looked confused. "I thought we were her family."

With a small chuckle, Percy shook his head. "No. She has a real family. She just stays around here a lot."

The girl's mouth made a big _O_ shape, then slid from Percy's grasp onto the floor. She took his hand and pulled him towards the dining room, pushing past Sally and Paul. "Mommy made food."

"Oh, that's wonderful!"

He took his seat at the circular table, and the little girl sat next to him. In fact, she pulled her chair as close as she possibly could to him. Paul sat opposite of him.

"Bella, don't annoy Percy."

"Oh, it's okay." Percy said with a grin. "I missed her."

Bella gave him a signature toothy smile and he blinked. For a second, she had looked different...older. Bella was quite unusual, though. Her traits weren't like either Sally's or Paul's: olive skin, black hair, dark eyes. Just then his mom walked in. She held a huge platter of lasagna, the delicious smell rolling off in waves. He immediately forgot about his previous thought.

"Mom, you're the best."

"I know." She set down the platter and ruffled his hair. "Everybody dig in!"

* * *

And everybody did.

The lasagna had been absolutely delicious, and the happy chatter had made the meal even better. Sally, Paul, and Bella bombarded Percy with questions about college, his love life, his friends… and a few very disguised, very coded questions about his demigod life. Bella still had no idea Percy was anything but ordinary, and they wanted to keep her blissfully ignorant.

They were nearing the end of the meal when his mom asked, "Have you heard anything about your summer camp?"

Percy nodded and watched Bella out of the corner of his eye. She was carefully picking out the onions and mushrooms from her first piece of lasagna, which had long gone cold.

"I got a message that everything is fine. The most dangerous thing that has happened was this one game of Capture the Flag when Nico was caught-"

"Nico." Bella suddenly seemed very interested in the conversation. "I like that name… a lot."

Percy froze. Surrounding the girl was a dark green aura. A holographic image flickered around her, looking just like Bella, but years in the future. She smiled at him, and little Bella did the same. Then she saw his expression.

"What's wrong?" But the words didn't process. They sounded tinny. His eyes didn't move from the hologram, that now had a look of concern. It reached out a hand as if to stroke his face, and he cried out and toppled backwards. As soon as he did, the picture disappeared. Immediately his family was surrounding him on the floor, each looking panicked.

"Percy, are you okay?"

"Are you hurt?"

"What was that?"

Instead of answering, he pushed himself to his feet and bolted into his room, slamming the door. The image of the girl with the green beanie was burned into his mind.

* * *

"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept this offering." The coin disappeared into the rainbow made hastily by a glass of water and the receding daylight.

"Annabeth Chase, in San Francisco."

The image flickered to the blonde girl, laying on her bed with a book in hand.

"Annabeth!" Percy called. Immediately she looked up and put the book down, smiling brightly. Then the smile faded.

"You're so pale! What's wrong? Are you sick?"

"No. Annabeth, listen to me. How fast can you get to Camp Half-blood?"

"It'll take me at least a day… Percy, what happened? Tell me!" Her voice was raising in pitch as her panic grew.

Percy quickly told her what had happened during dinner. Annabeth covered her mouth.

"Oh my gods..."

Percy was visibly shaken. "What should we do?"

"I… I don't know. Should we tell him?"

"I feel like I have to. He has the right to know."

Percy put his head into his hands and took a deep breath. "I don't know how I didn't see it earlier. How could I have been so STUPID?"

"You couldn't have known! Bianca died what, 8 years ago?"

Percy nodded. He glanced to the door and then looked back. "I'm going to do it."

"You want to wait for me?"

"Meet me at camp?"

"Okay. I'm coming."

Silence hung in the air for a second. "I love you, Wise Girl."

"Love you too, Seaweed Brain."

Percy brushed his hand through the image and it faded. He opened the door and called,

"Hey, Bella, come here! We're going on a car trip!"


	2. Chapter 2

Percy's finger tapped the wheel nervously. Bella hummed to herself and looked out the backseat window. So far, so good. No monsters had come to kill them, but even so, Percy constantly checked his pocket for Riptide.

"Hey Bella?"

"Huh?" She looked from the window.

"What was it you were saying earlier… about liking the name Nico?"

"It makes me… happy. But it also makes me sad." She looked confused.

"What do you think about the name… Bianca?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she pulled her hair in front of her face and examined it.

"Percy?"

"What is it, sweetie?" He took a left turn, following a sign that read Montauk.

"Why do I look different than mommy and daddy?"

"Oh hun..." Percy was at a loss for words, "I think you'll understand when you're older."

"That's a pile of crap."

"Gabriella Sadie Blofis! Where did you learn that word?!"

She shrugged and resumed her task of staring at the passing scenery.

Getting his mom to let him take Bella to Camp Half-blood had been quite a task. But after explaining it to her, she had reluctantly let them go under very strict guidelines. Bella would be within reach of either Annabeth or Percy at all times; they would drive only to Camp and back, nowhere else; etcetera.

Lost in his thoughts, Percy hadn't even realized they were on Farmers drive already. He watched the GPS on the windshield of Paul's car (a new one, seeing as the Prius had been destroyed). Just a few more miles to go.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"It's a surprise?"

"Yup. It's a surprise."

A moment of silence passed.

"Are we there yet?"

"Almost."

"... How 'bout now?"

"Yup."

Percy pulled the car up to the side of Half-Blood Hill and got out. Bella was already skipping up the hill. Just then it occurred to Percy: Bella wouldn't be able to see Camp Half-blood. He trenched up after her and was surprised to see her gaping at the scene in front of her.

Suddenly she gasped and pointed excitedly, "Look! Ponies!" Percy followed her gaze and saw a small flock of pegasi grazing in the archery field. Luckily there was no archery going on at the moment. Bella grabbed his hand and pulled him forwards.

"Can we go see them? Please, Percy pleeaase?" Percy nodded with a tight smile. A nervous sweat dotted his brow. Now was the moment of truth. How would Nico react?

Bella walked right into the protective forcefield around the camp. She grunted and flopped backwards looking around in confusion.

"Oh. Forgot about that." Percy muttered. "I, Percy Jackson, give you permission to enter Camp Half-blood." A blue light flickered over the entire forcefield.

"Try now." Bella pushed herself to her feet and reluctantly spread her fingers toward the meadow. When nothing happened, she stepped through. Percy followed through right after. He took Bella's hand and they walked down the hill together, towards the Big House. On the porch sat two teenage guys, playing some sort of game with cards and figurines. In fact, it looked a lot like…

"Hey, Jackson!" One of them stood up, waved, and leapt over the porch railing with ease. He ran up the hill towards the pair.

"Will." Percy accepted the fist bump and smirked, momentarily forgetting his troubles. "Are those mythomagic cards I see?" Will shrugged. Then he seemed to notice Bella for the first time. She was hiding behind Percy's legs, peering up at the big scary boy in front of her. Will kneeled down and smiled.

"And who's this pretty little girl?"

"Bella." She whispered.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, miss Bella." He put out his hand and she shook it nervously. Then she scurried back behind Percy and giggled.

"So what's up? Did you just come to visit, or..."

"Actually, we came to-"

"You talk funny." Bella interrupted, looking at Will with huge eyes.

"Do I? Maybe it's you that talks funny, little lady." Will stood up and smiled at Percy.

"Your sister, I presume."

"You presume correct."

"Well, that's a first." Percy looked past Will's shoulder and saw the other person approaching. On his face was a smirk, and his hands were stuffed in his pockets. His blood froze and he placed a hand on Bella's head protectively.

"Nico." Percy choked out. He tried to smile but it must have looked fake, seeing as Nico's eyes narrowed.

"What is it?"

"Nico, we need to talk."

"About?"

"Look, I-"

Bella stepped out from her protective shield of leg and stared at Nico in wonder. "You're name's Nico?"

The boy froze. His eyes didn't even leave the girl in front of him.

"Nico? Are you okay?" Will asked tentatively.

"Bianca..." it came out as a choked whisper, and tears pooled in his black eyes. It took him a second to realize, and suddenly his eyes hardened.

"Is this some kind of joke?!" He yelled. He took a step towards Percy, who put up his arms protectively. The son of Hades may have been scrawny, but he had seen what he could do with almost minimal effort.

"No, Nico, I swear-"

"Why did you bring her here?!"

"I thought-"

"NO! You obviously didn't!" Nico was right in his face now. Bella tugged on Nico's leg, trying to pull the angry boy away from her brother. With an angry yell, Nico raised his leg and kicked the little girl away. Immediately she burst into tears, and Will ran over and scooped her up, carrying her a few feet away.

"You took my sister once." A range of emotions flew over his face: anger, sadness, bitterness. "And now you took her again."

With a flick of his hand, Nico evaporated into Percy's shadow.

For a moment everything was silent. Then a broken sob brought everyone back to the present. Percy twisted his head around to see Bella, crying into Will's shoulder. Will was sitting on the grassy slope, a look of shock on his face.

Percy walked up to them and sat next to Will, pulling the little girl onto his lap.

"Shh, sweetie. It's okay. It's okay." He rocked her back and forth until all that remained were sniffles.

"Did I do something to him? Why was he so mad at me?" She broke into a fit of sobs again.

Percy felt tears coming to his own eyes. This had been a really, really bad decision. "It wasn't you he was mad at, Bella. It was me. I did something a really long time ago, and Nico hasn't forgiven me. I can't change it."

Bella looked up and saw the tears on her brother's cheeks. Using her tiny hand, she gently wiped away the tears, and then rested her head against his chest. "Did you apologise?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I did."

"Then there's nothing you can do. Don't feel bad, brother."

"For someone so small, you sure have a lot of wisdom."

"Like Annabeff?"

"Just like Annabeth." He stroked her head for a moment, and then turned to look at Will, who was watching them.

"What should we do? You know, about Nico. And stuff."

Will shook his head. "I think if he doesn't want to be found, he won't be. I'm just worried that he'll hurt himself in the forest. If he passes out and can't protect himself..."

"How can you tell he's in that forest?"

"The idiot doesn't have enough power to get himself farther. He thinks he does, but he's weak. He doesn't take care of himself."

"Let's go talk to Chiron, see if we can get a small search party out."

"Good idea." Will stood up, and helped Percy to his feet. He gently put Bella down, but kept her hand in his.

"So, Bella. How about I introduce you to a really cool 'pony'?"


	3. Chapter 3

Percy, Will, and Chiron talked for a very long time, talking about Nico, Bianca, Bella and all things in between. The little girl, after she had overcome the shock of seeing Chiron for the first time, had fallen asleep on Percy's lap.

"So… that's our problem." Percy finished.

Chiron looked from Bella to Percy, and back again.

"A reincarnation of Bianca di Angelo. Of course, we couldn't be sure, but..."

"The facts all point to it. And take Nico's reaction."

Percy didn't know why he suddenly wanted it to be true. Nico had just recently started to get comfortable with Percy, and now, he wouldn't be surprised if that wobbly bond had been snapped. It hadn't really been his fault, granted, but now he was starting to think that bringing Nico's dead sister's reincarnation had been a bad idea.

"I'm worried about him." Will said. "He could get hurt in the woods."

Percy nodded in agreement. "Could we send out a small search party, Chiron? A few pegasi and a handful of campers should be enough."

"While I understand that Nico could be in danger," Chiron began, "It would be suicidal to send anyone out into the forest during nightfall."

"But it's not-oh." Percy and Will both looked to the window and discovered that they must have been talking for longer than it seemed. The sun was almost gone under the horizon, and campers were already gathering around the blazing campfire.

"But we can't just leave him!" Will protested. "Something could attack him, and there's no way in Hades that he could defend himself after a shadow travel! Please, Chiron!"

"I'm sorry, Will. But I won't allow you to put yourself in danger. Would Nico want you to?"

"I don't care what he would want!" Will was nearly in tears now. "I need to protect him!"

Chiron waited patiently for Will to stop talking. He put a hand on the hysteric boy's shoulder and said, "First thing tomorrow, if Nico is not back, I promise we will send out a search party. Right now, get your rest."

With steely eyes, Will got up and sprinted out the door, slamming it behind him. Percy stood up and looked at Chiron. Bella had woken up sometime during the yelling and was squirming uncomfortably.

"You too, Percy. I will not allow you to put yourself in harm's way. Get a good night's rest." He looked down at Bella and gave her a warm smile, but he seemed to have aged ten years during the conversation. The stress and worry was clearly etched across his face. This was probably not his expertise: reincarnated girls, angry sons of Hades and whatnot. With a flick of his tail, he walked out of the living room and disappeared into one of the side rooms.

"Percy?" Bella whispered, tugging on Percy's hand, "I'm tired. Can we go home?"

"Not quite yet." Percy picked her up gently. "We'll sleep the night here, and we'll decide what to do tomorrow. You wanna see my cabin?"

Bella nodded and buried her head in Percy's shoulder. She was asleep before they even got to the Poseidon cabin.

* * *

 _Bella. Wake up._ The little girl's eyes shot open and she looked around for the speaker. She began to panic, not knowing where she was. But then she saw Percy, sleeping in a bed next to hers. There were many beds in the room, and all the walls were cast with a faint, blue-ish light. She was about to go back to sleep and blame her imagination, when the voice spoke again.

 _Do you hear me, Bella?_ A memory clicked. She remembered a time, long ago, when she had heard the voice before. It had been years ago, she had been a baby; it wasn't possible to remember that far back, was it?

 _You're a very special girl._ The voice was definitely female, and sounded kind of funny. The voice sounded a little bit like Nico's voice. It was… weird, but she couldn't describe how.

"Why am I special?" she whispered, still trying to find the speaker.

 _A long time ago, there was a young girl named Bianca. She died trying to save her friends. When she died, she was given the option of re-birth. That means that she could come back as someone else. Bianca waited until the time was right, and then she accepted the offer. She was born as a little baby girl. You._

"Really?" Bella said with child-like fascination. A four year old will not question what seems impossible, because for them, nothing seems unbelievable. Until they reach a certain age, that is, and then the crushing weight of reality slaps them in the face.

 _Yes. And Bianca had a brother named Nico. Right now, Nico is feeling a lot of pain._

"What can I do?" Bella had given up looking and was now sitting up in bed, listening intently.

The voice chuckled quietly. _You still have the spirit of a hunter, my dear. If you want to help Nico, you have to find him._

"Where is he?"

 _That's for you to find out. When you get close to him, you will know. You still share a bond._

"Okay." Bella slid her feet over the side of the bed and slipped on her shoes. She felt like she was on a quest, like a big girl. Silently, she walked over to the door and opened it, stepping out into the cold air. With no regard for her own safety, she walked towards the forest.

 **Alright y'all, one or two more chapters after this and I'll be done. Hold on, 'cause this ride's about to get bumpy.**


	4. Chapter 4

**GGUUYSSSSS I am going to camp for a week starting tomorrow so I spat this out as fast as I could at 11 PM. Sorry if the quality is not up to stat.**

 **P.S. mild swearing.**

Nico didn't know how long he had been in the blackness. It surrounded him and choked him. Sure, he had been in it countless times before, during his travels with Reyna and such, but the fear never relented.

It may have been as dark as it could get, but it was far from silent. Screams of ghosts and shadows filled the blackness, and every so often a cold, merciless hand grabbed his ankle and tried to pull him down. It took all his strength to fight back.

He knew it now; he shouldn't have tried to shadow travel. Will had warned him countless times that it was too hard for him. He barely ate, he was usually dehydrated, and his emotional health wasn't much better. But the truth was, he couldn't bring himself to do much. Most of the time, he cried himself to sleep. His stomach growled in pain, and his throat burned. The room would swirl in front of his eyes from dizziness. But if he ate, he knew that he would throw it up minutes later. He hadn't told anyone… not even Will.

He hated drawing attention to himself. Being sick would do just that.

So he continued in his horrible patterns. He _knew_ they were bad for him. But this was just who he was now. Ever since…

He _hated_ Percy. Even more than before. The _bastard_ had promised, _promised,_ to keep Bianca safe. His sister, his only sister, his one friend. The lone person who knew his secret. He had sworn it, smiling with that sickening smile and looking at him with those disgusting, slimy green eyes. Truthfully, Nico had felt the second Bianca had died. But he had refused to believe it. When Percy came back and told him the truth, it had only made it worse. He had taken his sister.

And now, the idiot brought this little girl, _his_ sister _,_ to "meet" him. He had seen it the moment he looked into her eyes; those dark, dark eyes, that this was Bianca. She had been reborn. No doubt about it. If it wasn't bad enough that Percy had let his sister die, now he took her again. As _his_ sister.

Oh, he wanted to kill him. Run his stygian iron sword through the bastard's stomach. But he couldn't. Will wouldn't let him.

Will had told him that his anger often got the best of him. Being a son of Hades gave him unbelievable power. And if he let that power corrupt him, there was no telling what he would do.

 _I hate you, Percy Jackson._

Maybe if he thought it enough, his wish would be granted, and Percy would be wiped off the face of the earth…

…

...

 _Nico…_

The one word resonated through his black prison. The voices of the ghosts dimmed down to quiet murmurs.

 _Wake up._

Immediately, scenery started flying by him in a series of colours and various sounds. He had been on a train once, with Bianca and Momma, and the view outside the window had looked a lot like this. But he had never awoken like this before.

Suddenly, the scenes stopped. His train hit a huge boulder on the track. With a large gasp, his eyes flew open and he grabbed his chest in alarm. His back was against a tree. After a few shaky breaths, he looked around. His vision was blurred (no surprise there), and when he saw the shape standing in front of him, his senses went on to high alert. He was about to reach for his sword, when the shape moved closer. He could just make out a face, with long black hair.

* * *

Bella was sick and tired of the forest. She had been walking for so, _so_ long and her feet were achy. Her hair was constantly getting caught in branches and any bare skin had long been scratched up. The dim light of the full moon barely lit her path, and elongated every little shadow.

She had begun to think that it was hopeless, and that she would never find Nico, when a whisper echoed through the forest. A feeling in her gut turned her to the left, and she felt the sudden urge to run in that direction. She didn't know why, but she instantly sprinted that way, her feet silent on the grassy floor.

She almost ran past the shadowy figure on the ground. If she hadn't tripped over his splayed legs, Bella wouldn't have ever known he was there. She immediately flipped around and eyed the unconscious boy in front of her. As much as she could tell, he _looked_ like the boy from earlier. He had the same unruly black hair, skinny figure, and pale complexion.

He didn't _look_ hurt, though. The voice had said he was in a lot of pain, yet she didn't see anything significant. Still, whether the voice had meant this boy or another, something deep inside her couldn't leave someone, even a stranger, behind.

With great effort, she dragged him to the closest tree and propped him up against it. His head lolled forward.

 _That's him, alright._

"Is it Nico?" She asked out loud. She sat back on her haunches and surveyed the boy.

 _Yes, it is._

"What do we do now?"

 _Nico is in a lot of pain, and he needs his rest. But there is danger coming, and we need to leave as soon as possible._

"But where is he hurt?"

 _Oh, my dear, his pain is on the inside._

Bella bit her lip, not fully understanding the concept. Did Nico have a tummy-ache?

"Nico." She whispered, "Wake up."

With a gasp, the boy's eyes shot open. He looked around and layed his eyes on her.

"Bianca?" he croaked weakly. He sounded very sick.

"No. It's Bella."

The boy's eyes widened and he pushed himself to his feet, using the tree as a crutch. Suddenly he doubled over and vomited on the forest floor. Bella was alarmed to see blood mixed in.

"Are you okay?" She reached forward and grabbed his arm, steadying him.

"Get… away… from me..." He tried to push her off, but he only succeeded in losing his balance and collapsing. He pushed himself up against the tree, panting from the effort.

The little girl was still there. A tiny piece of his heart broke when he saw the look of concern in her eyes. When he spoke again, a bit of the harshness was gone.

"Why are you here?"

Bella fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "The Voice told me to come."

"The voice?" He asked skeptically.

"Uh huh. She woke me up and said to find you. She said, 'Nico is in a lot of pain.' So I came."

He pondered this for a moment. Suddenly, Bella's head flew up and her eyes widened in alarm.

"What is it?" Nico's heart filled with fear. What had made this little girl tense up like that?

"The Voice..." she whispered. "She said we have to run."

"Why?" Nico reached for his fallen sword. He didn't fully know if he wanted to trust this little girl. Was she insane?

"Something is coming. And it is going to kill us."

 **HahahahaHA! And now I'm leaving for a week to camp (YYEESSSSSSS I'VE BEEN WAITING ALL YEAR). But really though. Love you guys. Even one review makes my heart flutter. I tell my non-fandom friend all about them in rash detail and they just make me SO HAPPY and OMZ I love you guys. Even though I don't know you.**

 **I know you guys will probably hate me for this cliffhanger. In my defense, it _is_ my longest chapter yet. But it is simply delicious. For me, anyways.**

 **And finally, due to some reviews, I am extending this story a few extra chapters. And to think this was going to be a two shot.**

 **So really, review, like, and follow, and I'll see you guys in a week.**

 **XOXO Nightfury153**


	5. Chapter 5

"What?" Nico steadied himself against the tree and weakly brought up his sword. He thought about grabbing the girl and making a run for it, but his legs and stomach weren't in favor of that option. Next to him, Bella hoisted a thick branch that was as long and thick as her arm.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nico snarled. There was no way in Hades this little girl would be able to fight something big enough to kill them.

"Helping. I'm a big girl." She took a step towards him and stared intently into the forest. He strained his ears to pick up a sound, but there was nothing but the slight wind blowing through the trees. A moment passed. Then another. Finally, he lowered his sword.

"This is ridiculous. There's nothing out there."

As if waiting for a cue, the ground shook violently. Nico stumbled and barely stayed on his feet. Bella seemingly rode it out, not faltering in the slightest. In fact, she didn't look fazed at all. She widened her stance and adjusted her grip on the stick. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and Nico saw, suddenly, the same look Bianca had given him when he did something wrong. He was glad the glare wasn't in his direction.

Without warning, the trees in front of them parted. Well, more like exploded. A massive wall of black stood before them, panting and snarling. For a second, Nico thought it was Mrs. O'Leary and relaxed his stance. But when the hell-hound stepped into the clearing, Nico couldn't have been more wrong.

The beast was at least as tall as Mrs. O'Leary, but that's about where the similarities ended. It's mouth dripped with foaming saliva that was tinged red, as well as it's barb-like teeth. Nico didn't want to think why. It's pure crimson eyes were beady and filled with hatred. It's entire body was thick, strong muscle that made it look unnatural, even for a monster. Each paw was at least the size of a table in the dining pavilion, and each claw could easily slice him in half with one swipe.

The hellhound took a step forward, shaking the very core of Nico's being. It's eyes turned from Nico to Bella, as if deciding which one would be dinner and which one would be dessert.

He had apparently made up his mind. He lunged for the boy, who barely had time to comprehend the situation. His body went into auto-pilot, and he rolled out of the way, smacking into Bella's legs and bringing her down on top of him.

"Ouch!" She shrieked, pushing herself back up. Nico was winded from the effort the roll had taken and was struggling not to heave up anything left in his stomach. Then Bella did the unthinkable. She stepped in front of him and shouted,

"You won't hurt Nico! Fight me instead!"

"Bella, no…!" he croaked, pushing himself up. Why he suddenly cared for this girl, he couldn't comprehend.

With lightning speed, the hellhound charged the girl. She ran to it with the same enthusiasm. It lunged, mouth opened in a terrifying sound somewhere between a bark and a growl and Bella dropped down in a baseball-style slide, going right under it and coming back up the other side. The hellhound was now in between Nico and Bella.

Nico stared in amazement. When he met her eyes, he realized something had changed. Something big. Her eyes were filled with ferocity and her crooked smile wasn't Bella's. She gave him a small salute and charged the hellhound's monstrous back-side. It turned and met her mid strike, grabbing the stick in it's mouth and snapping it in half. Bella wasn't fazed. The smirk didn't fade.

The hellhound had lowered its head to grab the stick, and the girl seized the opportunity. She lept onto its snout and took a step up, stabbing the now sharp piece of wood into the hellhounds eye. It yelped in pain and stumbled back, nearly stepping on Nico.

Bella jumped down and landed on the ground roughly. The hellhound was stumbling around the small clearing now, crying and trying to claw the stick out of its eye. The small girl stooped in front of Nico and lifted his chin so they were eye to eye.

"Hey, Neeks." She said. But the voice wasn't hers. It had the slight Italian accent he had missed for years.

"Bianca?" He whispered. She simply smiled and took his sword from him, lifting it over her shoulder. This small girl; this puny, scrawny little thing was housing his sister's soul. She was so young, and yet she seemed so much older.

With a defiant yell, she sprinted forward and struck the hellhound in the side. It howled and turned on her. A steady stream of blood trickled from it's eye. It went crazy on her, snapping and swiping with its table-sized paws. But Bella evaded each strike.

"I'm Bianca di Angelo!" She yelled, giving it a good strike to the snout.

"I may have died!" She easily rolled out of the way of an angry bite.

"But I was a hunter of Artemis!" With a defeated growl, the hellhound dropped to its side and heaved. Bella walked around to its belly and raised the sword. She lowered her voice.

"And don't you know a Hunter's soul never dies?" With that she plunged the sword into the hellhounds stomach. It gave a final howl before exploding into golden dust. A small wisp of smoke curled up from the center of the pile and disappeared into the stygian iron. The sword hummed with the newly acquired soul.

Bella strided over to Nico, who had just sat up. She handed him the sword and he slid it into the sheath, never taking his eyes off her. The kept eye contact for a moment, and Bella (or was it Bianca?) lifted her hand and rested it against his cheek.

"I love you, little brother."

And with that, she promptly fainted into Nico's arms.

 **HEY Y'ALL! Did ya miss me? Cuz I sure missed you guys!**

 **Camp was wonderful, thanks for asking. I'm going back on Sunday for two weeks! YAYYYY!**

 **So that basically means I better get all my fics done before I leave otherwise I'll get murdered by a horde of fangirls. Yeah. You guys.**

 **So, as always, review, like, and follow. Until next time,**

 ** **Nightfury****


	6. Chapter 6

When Nico emerged from the southern woods, the first rays of sunlight were just coming up. Bella hung limply in his arms, but her breathing was good and her pulse was steady, so he wasn't to concerned.

Some of the Apollo campers were already up and about. No shock there, seeing as they were the child of the sun god. They were right at the archery, and it didn't take long before a couple of campers shouted his arrival.

Suddenly, an arrow was protruding from a tree inches from his head. When Nico turned his head from it, Will Solace was sprinting to him, a bow slung across his back. With a grunt, Nico dropped to his knees and gently laid Bella on the ground. She would get help now.

Footsteps thudded on the grass. Seconds later, Will kneeled opposite of him and put his fingers against Bella's neck.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice empty of emotion.

"It's a long story..." Nico muttered, suddenly taking interest in the grass next to him. Will heaved a sigh and picked up the unconscious girl. Without a word, he got up and walked away. Will said something to one of the other Apollo guys, and he turned and ran off towards the Poseidon cabin.

With a grunt, Nico pushed himself up and followed Will up to the Big House. When he got there, Bella was lying in the first cot. Will was standing by her side, looking down at her. Nico cleared his throat and awkwardly stepped into the brightly lit room, closing the door behind him. There was a moment of silence, where neither boy knew what to say. Then Will stepped forward and punched Nico in the gut with all his strength.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKIN'?!" He screamed. Nico doubled over, coughing.

Will went on, "Do you have any idea how dangerous shadow-travelling is in your condition?! It could have unthinkable effects on your mind as well as your body! You could deteriorate, or go insane, or worse! If only you would eat some damn food, maybe you wouldn't be in such a bad condition!"

Nico looked up at him through his pain and was shocked to see tears in Will's eyes.

"Do you know how worried I was about you?" His voice broke, "If something happened to you, I don't know what I would do..." He clenched his fists so tight the knuckles turned white and bit his bottom lip in an attempt to stop crying.

"Will..." Nico stood up straight. "I'm alright. That's all that matters."

Will pushed a hand through his blond hair and looked at Nico in exhaustion. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Really."

Will took a step closer and whispered through a small smile, "I'm so mad at you, di Angelo."

Nico smirked and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. I can tell."

The blond suddenly jabbed his finger into Nico's chest and hissed, "And if you ever, EVER pull a stunt like that again, I'm gonna-"

They were interrupted by the door flying open and Percy running in, an angry fire in his eyes. He saw Bella lying on the cot and sprinted to her side. Percy brushed the hair off her face, taking in the image, and then clenched the sides of the bed. Slowly, he turned his head towards Nico and growled, "What did you do to her?"

Nico took a step back and raised his hands, "Percy, I-"

"What did YOU DO?!" With a yell, Percy slammed Nico against the far wall, his forearm digging into his throat. "If you hurt her in any way I swear to the gods-"

"Stop it!" Will yanked Percy as hard as he could and stood in between the two. Nico gagged, using the wall to stay upright. "Nico's an idiot sometimes, but he wouldn't hurt a little girl. Right?" He turned to Nico, who was nodding weakly, still trying to get air into his lungs.

"See?" Will looked back to Percy.

"Then why was she out in the woods with him? You saw how he reacted earlier! And now she's unconscious!" Percy yelled. He tried to push past Will, but he had surprising strength for a healer.

"I think we should hear Nico's story before strangling him." Will said.

Percy took a deep breath and took a step back, taking up a guard-dog stance at the foot of Bella's cot. "Fine."

Nico sat on the cot next to Bella's and began to describe the incident in the forest. When he got to the part about Bella being taken over by Bianca's spirit, Percy sucked in a deep breath.

"That's not possible." He whispered.

Nico ended by telling how Bella had collapsed after the battle. Will put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay. We'll figure this all out."

Nico averted his gaze. A hand on his chin pulled his face up so Will could look at his cheek.

"That's quite a bruise you comin' in."

"Yeah. I guess."

The two held each other's gaze for a moment. Now that everything had calmed down, Nico realized how tired he really was. He gave a huge yawn. Will chuckled.

"C'mon, death boy. Let's get you bed. Be back in a sec, Percy."

"Don't call me death boy." Nico grumbled. But he allowed Will to help him stand up and walk him out the door. Percy could hear their muttered bickering out in the hall.

"You're cute when you're tired."

"I am not 'cute'. I am the Ghost King. I-" Nico yawned again, "-bathe in the blood of my enemies."

"That's adorable."

They continued until Percy heard a door open and slam shut. He walked to Bella's side and took a seat next to her cot. She looked so peaceful and quiet when she slept. He wondered how the recent events would affect her. Would she remember? What if… what if she wanted to stay here with Nico? A Bianca, not Bella? Would he be willing to make that sacrifice? Oh… Mom was going to kill him. Uh oh.

 **Sometimes I forget that it is canon that Will has a Texan accent. :)**

 **I know that this chapter may not be as good as the others but I'm super stressed and crap. So cut me some slack. Love you guys.**

 **Nightfury**


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